Conan O’Brien‘s joke writer wants everyone who missed the comedic timing of his Oscars bit about Kendrick Lamar and Drake‘s beef to just say that — there was no malice on the host’s part!!!

Skyler Higley, who penned the part about needing to “call Drake a pedophile” after the commercial break, tells TMZ Hip Hop … “The idea that it’s being taken as a real call-out or taking sides in any way in the beef is absurd.”

Social media immediately started buzzing with accusations Conan joined the Drake hate train in favor of Kendrick Lamar … but Higley’s been writing jokes for Conan since his late-night TV show days and says he knows a master at work when he sees one.

He says the joke was simply a reference to Kendrick’s Super Bowl performance and a cultural moment of the past year.

DJ Akademiks didn’t take it that way and he’s currently trying to paint Conan as Drake enemy number 1 to his audience.

It’s World Tennis Day and we’re celebrating by serving up some hot shots of some famous hotties wielding racquets.

Genie Bouchard, Winnie Harlow and Livvy Dunne are leading the way … they’re all aces in our book.

On the reality TV front, we’ve got tennis looks from “Too Hot To Handle” star Georgia Hassarati, plus Liberty Poole from “Love Island.”

Irina Shayk‘s modeled just about everything at this point, and she’s throwing her hat in the ring here too.

New video shows the horrible aftermath of Grammy-nominated singer Angie Stone‘s vehicle crash in Alabama — with an up-close look at the big-rig that slammed into her van.

TMZ obtained fresh footage, which captures 19 seconds of the wreckage after Stone’s Mercedes Sprinter van — carrying her and 8 members of her backup band — was struck by a semi-truck Saturday on Interstate 65, in Montgomery County, AL.

An eyewitness driving by shot the clip … and it starts by capturing the monstrous white Freightliner Cascadia truck stopped on the shoulder of the highway.

Police say Angie, a passenger in the van, was the only one killed. The other 8 occupants in the van were injured and taken to a hospital for treatment. The driver of the 18-wheeler was not hurt, and the cause of the crash is under investigation.

According to Angie’s rep, the singer and her crew were traveling to a gig in Baltimore, Maryland, when the collision occurred after a performance in Montgomery.

Angie is best known as a member of the famous hip hop group The Sequence. The group released 3 albums between 1979 and 1985, with their biggest tune, “Funk You Up,” later sampled by Bruno Mars and Dr. Dre in their own music.

Angie then embarked on a solo career — switching to R&B with her 2001 song “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” becoming a big hit.  She also acted in comedy films such as “The Hot Chick” and “Ride Along.”

Angie was 63.